Denon AVP-A1HD Product Review page 5

Back Panel View of the Denon AVP-A1HDCI
type supported including two BNC's digital
outputs, one set of BNC component video
inputs and outputs, six HDMI inputs, two
HDMI outputs, 12 balanced outputs and
2 balanced inputs; the AVP-A1's got you
covered with enough goesintas and goesoutas
to serve even the most sophisticated home
theater and multi zone audio installations.
Basic System Setup
& Configuration
Once you've made all of your connections,
you need to get to work on properly setting
up your AVP-A1HDCI to ensure maximum
enjoyment. I recommend proceeding as
follows to get the basics all setup so you're
up and running.
Step 1: Option Setup
The first thing you're going to want to
do after connecting up the AVP-A1HDCI
to your system is check for an update in
firmware via the Ethernet connection. Do
NOT use a wireless connection when
updating firmware as you risk really hosing
up the processor should the connection
be interrupted during the upload process.
To update the firmware you simply enter
the "Option Setup" area of the OSD and
select "firmware update". Depending on
the extent of the upgrade, it can take up
to 1 hour to complete. When I ran this
function, my update was rather minor and
only took 3 minutes. "Option Setup" also
has an area to upgrade your AVP-A1HDCI
with new features which I am hopeful
Denon will actually support and not just
have as a selling point like so many other
manufacturers have done in the past when
boasting upgradeability.
Next you will want configure your preamp
out assignments in the "Option Setup" menu.
I left the assignments by default and simply
selected XLR for all connection types since
I ran all Impact Acoustics Sonicwave XLR
cables between my AVP-A1HDCI and POA-
A1HDCI 10 channel power amplifier. In
the rare instances when you connect up an
amplifier with reverse polarity on its inputs,
Denon provides the option to reserve
the polarity on any of the preamp output
assignments.
Step 2: Auto Setup
and Speaker Configuration
Even if you're not a fan of auto EQ's, I
still recommend running auto setup, if for
nothing more than accurately configuring
and identifying your channels, level trims
and delays for all of your speakers and
subwoofer(s). Since Audyssey utilizes up to
8 point room correction, I suggest starting
with the primary listening seat for the
first measurement, and then repositioning
the mic for the other major seats in your
theater room. I do recommend closely
grouping multiple mic positions in the two
most important seats in your theater room
so Audyssey weighs those positions more
heavily and thus biases the calibration in
favor of those money seats. Make sure
your room is as quiet as possible and I
encourage you to sweat it out and turn
off any ceiling fans and HVAC during the
calibration process. It's usually best to place
the mic around ear seated height for all of
your calibrations.
Unfortunately, ever since the new line
of Denon receivers switched over from
TI chipsets to the Analog Devices (ADI)
ones, Audyssey takes longer (30 seconds)
between measurements since the ADI
chipsets likely have less available onboard
memory. As a result it takes around 30
minutes to do a full eight point calibration
so I urge patience during this process or use
less calibration points at the expense of less
calibration accuracy.
Step 3: Manual Calibration
& Bass Management
After auto setup completes, it's time to
fine tune your results. I tend to find most
auto setup systems will set any speaker
placed near a boundary to "large" regardless
of its bass output capabilities. This was the
case with my back surround speakers. Thus
I went into the bass management and
reconfigured those speakers to small. I then
also corrected the crossover settings for
the center and back channels to be more
appropriate for my setup.
Level trims were about right, but
considering my theater room has two rows
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